HM1 aboard USS Chief selected IDC of the Year&
#10; SASEBO, Japan (Aug. 23, 2019) &
#8211; Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Edward Navarro, of Riverside, California, serving onboard Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures Ship USS Chief (MCM 14), was selected by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) as the 2018 Surface Independent Duty Corpsman (IDC) of the Year.&
#10; The IDC of the Year award was established to recognize excellence in the Navy&
#8217;s highly trained enlisted health care providers who operate aboard ships and submarines at sea worldwide without the direct supervision of a licensed physician. &
#10; “There are a lot of really amazing IDC&
#8217;s in the Navy, so it is very humbling to be counted among them,&
#8221; said Navarro when asked how he felt about being selected. &
#8220;I really do owe my success to the people on Chief.&
#8221;&
#10; Navarro says that he wanted a challenging assignment and found it on the forward deployed minesweeper but admits that even though his title starts with &
#8220;Independent&
#8221; teamwork is still important.&
#10; “When you are part of a team like this, you are never really alone,&
#8221; he said. &
#8220;I wanted the challenge of independent duty and felt I could best achieve this at sea rather than ashore.&
#8221;&
#10; IDCs are trained in the clinical and management skillset and play a critical role in maintaining the health and morale of the unit where they are assigned. Navarro&
#8217;s recognition shows that his hard work has made him a role model in the Corpsman community.&
#10; Part of Navarro&
#8217;s selection can be attributed to the challenging range of duties, from multi-national mine exercises in the forward deployed naval force, to managing medical readiness inspections and successfully completing the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) with above average scores.&
#10; Looking forward to making the Navy a career, Navarro says he plans to explore other operational settings and take full advantage of what the Navy has to offer.&
#10; “To anyone considering being an IDC, expect it to be challenging, but it is also a very rewarding career.&
#8221;